Imperial Valley College
FRACTIONS REFERENCE SHEET
numerator: How many pieces are being considered from the whole
๐
๐
denominator: How many pieces the whole has been divided into altogether
Ex: 3
5 The whole has been divided into 5
pieces altogether, and 3 of those
pieces are being considered.
โThree-fifthsโ equals โ3 out of 5โ
Improper Fractions vs. Mixed Numbers
In an improper fraction, the numerator (top) is larger than the denominator (bottom).
๐
๐ = ๐ รท ๐ โ whole number ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐
Ex: 13
5 = 13 รท 5 โ 23
5
Ex: 3 = + 3 = 13
5 x 5 5
Study the picture to understand why 13
5 = 2 3
5 :
13
5 is 13 of the shaded fifths (count them!), while 23
5 is 2 wholes and 3 of the shaded fifths.
Improper โ Mixed Number:
Use division
(Top รท bottom)
2
2
Mixed Number โ Improper:
1) Multiply denominator x whole number
Ex: 5 x 2 = 10
2) Add result to numerator
Ex: 10 + 3 = 13
3) Put new result over original denominator
Ex: 13 over 5
